Tight Ass repairs for Upper Console and Stereo Surround.
Posted: Sun Jun 04, 2017 3:05 pm
One of those times when i should have taken pics during the process, but to be honest never thought i would get this far.
Intend on replacing all parts eventually but in the mean time hope this helps out all you tight asses who simply refuse to just replace sh*t straight up....like me.
Previously i primed and painted the upper rubber surround as it was sticky and generally looked like sh*t. That lasted a while until it began to crack the paint continually. Rubber was just too far gone. So i tried prying the rubber away from the plastic base, this sh*t is seriously bonded on so don't bother unless you are really bored. I took it to work and put it in my gun cleaner cabinet and let it roll around in thinners for a few hours.
So once the rubber is off you have a bare bones plastic base which basically looks pretty sh*t. So to be a cheap ass i sand it back and slowly built up layers of acrylic primer filler. Acrylic because it is cheap and never truly cures so remains somewhat flexible. Give it a couple of coats, sand into shape and continue the process of paint/sand until you have a decent looking base.
The final finish is your choice. Plastidip may be good due to its flexible nature..vinyl wrap would be good or even a rubberised bumper paint. I just went with a gloss acrylic as i am going to replace it eventually.
Now, my used to be indestructible bit (stereo surround) decided to break. The whole top section snapped off and the lower section snapped in 3 places around the shifter. This happened removing it as what usually happens.
So how do you rejuvinate brittle plastic? Well you don't, but you can give it a workable life. I soaked the bit(s) in hot tap water and then transferred them into boiling water a few minutes off the boil. Sanded the plastic with light grade paper and then tacked them with loctite 406 glue and then run some 406 in and around and let it cure. After the glue cured i have run hot melt glue around the back of the surround. Gives a little more stiffness and keeps it intact if it decides to snap again.
Again i attacked with acrylic paint.
Finally, my rubber shifter surround was cracked and very stiff. I gave it a light sand and then soaked it in silicon spray for a week and now is nice and flexible and cracks are not very noticeable.
These are by no means permanent fixes, but if you like to play and and want to buy some time they do in fact work.
Now...f**k off!
Intend on replacing all parts eventually but in the mean time hope this helps out all you tight asses who simply refuse to just replace sh*t straight up....like me.
Previously i primed and painted the upper rubber surround as it was sticky and generally looked like sh*t. That lasted a while until it began to crack the paint continually. Rubber was just too far gone. So i tried prying the rubber away from the plastic base, this sh*t is seriously bonded on so don't bother unless you are really bored. I took it to work and put it in my gun cleaner cabinet and let it roll around in thinners for a few hours.
So once the rubber is off you have a bare bones plastic base which basically looks pretty sh*t. So to be a cheap ass i sand it back and slowly built up layers of acrylic primer filler. Acrylic because it is cheap and never truly cures so remains somewhat flexible. Give it a couple of coats, sand into shape and continue the process of paint/sand until you have a decent looking base.
The final finish is your choice. Plastidip may be good due to its flexible nature..vinyl wrap would be good or even a rubberised bumper paint. I just went with a gloss acrylic as i am going to replace it eventually.
Now, my used to be indestructible bit (stereo surround) decided to break. The whole top section snapped off and the lower section snapped in 3 places around the shifter. This happened removing it as what usually happens.
So how do you rejuvinate brittle plastic? Well you don't, but you can give it a workable life. I soaked the bit(s) in hot tap water and then transferred them into boiling water a few minutes off the boil. Sanded the plastic with light grade paper and then tacked them with loctite 406 glue and then run some 406 in and around and let it cure. After the glue cured i have run hot melt glue around the back of the surround. Gives a little more stiffness and keeps it intact if it decides to snap again.
Again i attacked with acrylic paint.
Finally, my rubber shifter surround was cracked and very stiff. I gave it a light sand and then soaked it in silicon spray for a week and now is nice and flexible and cracks are not very noticeable.
These are by no means permanent fixes, but if you like to play and and want to buy some time they do in fact work.
Now...f**k off!
